Show The Deserts Desert's Price o oBy By Icy WILLIAM MACLEOD MA CLEOD RAINE RA INE tIC COl Copyright br by MacLeod RaIne CHAPTER XIII XIII-Continued XIII Continued 1 As A McCann reached the Ihl boulder field II there here came to him the fulfil far away explosion of ot a n gun un Another almo almost t l merged In tho firl r. r and a n few tew secondi later laler come came a third sound Round like the I pop lOp popping o ping of ot a n distant firecracker That was wall all nil Carried on the evening eve evening e ning to 10 one not nut keyed by apprehension hension they might have seemed friendly greetings of the Ihl night Rut Hut Hutto to Wilson there was something In those sounds l that shook hIs hit soul They seemed to him sinister signals of ot tragedy trag trag- edy For or he did not doubt douht that thai Phil had been challenged while reaping and end that In the tho flash of guns gum which h In In- followed somebody had Iad been hurt lie III listened II nerves t taut heart drenched with dread hut but no 10 other shots came CRillI to hr break brenk the stillness lIs The Tho boy Loy bad 1181 either broken through or they IhlY had Rot got him Which I He HI Intended I to 10 lie III hidden In Inthe Ih the boulder flied field till lie hp was wn discovered and III make III there n stand th the rustlers Iut he hI found It II Impossible to wait wull there quietly while In doubt about fate Julia hail had put her brother In III his hla care Perhaps the youngster Iny lay wounded somewhere on the Ihl trail He lie must find out Only n a few stars were yet out In Jn the darkness he lie strode across III the he park through h the grass h headed bended for fur the pinehill pine Mil hill where hn ho had IIRI left and the horses honl lie IIo wanted to make sure that Phil had nl nt least started for tor home In the lie hollow back of the pine clad elope Wilson found the Ihl pack horse hi hits hili own mount Jim Jim The Tile latter I was saddled and tied II by a slip knot kno to n a young tree IreI He lie swung lI to hi his sent and rode down the hill hili The Tho entrance to the gulch was perhaps n hundred and fifty fitly yards from the house lie He was wu still some MOle distance from It when whim a rider emerged ld galloping hard and straight ht for forthe forthe the tho cabin Wilson Vilson pulled pulled- up lip The than man hilt had come omo from the canyon bringing news new with him What was the tho Important message e that drove him so 80 fast to his confederates lie would very much like to know It might greatly simplify aim sim the problem before himI him I f reckon well we'll not go 10 right v no now Jim not Dandy Dandy not till Ive I've had a look Rt lit the cabin r anyhow Theres There's Just d a chance they've got Jot Phil therE He lie left the tho cowpony In n draw anI and And moved with a n long even In stride toward the house Ills His title lip hp left beside the horse borRE It would only hamper him at close dOKe quarters It If It came fo to a gunplay gun gunplay play piny his 45 would be bo better No dog dol came harking to sound warn warn- Ing of his hU approach nil lie came by the tho rear to 10 a curtained window of alighted n a lighted room Inside were four tour men men Jasper Jas Jos per Stark Mark and Kelly Brown All were on their feet Intent and one at nt least lt frightened From the Idle edge of the curtain Wilson lon could see two two thirds of the tho room To 10 SWI sweep P with his gaze Iaze the rest of It be hp had hat to move mOTe to the other side of the window Brown rown stood ju Just t Inside the doorway doorway doorway door door- way telling a story An when he hI wouldn't stop I let him have It He lie made madl his hU narrative dramatic by an Instinctive crouched gesture of ot throwing a gun on someone some some- one He Ile blazed away at me ml as he I went by Before he hI turned the bendin bend 1111 bendIn 1 In the trail I fired again lIlt Hit him demanded Gitner with an nn oath Dont know He lie sure surl kept klI tray trav- lIn I 1 followed n II Ill Hl ways then lit out up here to tell It'll you boys Know him asked pointed to Stark Ills lIIs kl kid 1 brother Jaspers Jasper's high voice bl his fear got u us trapped he hI whined I 1 told you jou 01 I 1 didn't want to throw In with will you 01 In this rotten game Carl Ity liy G G G-d d weve we've got a rope round our nur necks I right now lOW The Till Texan looked nt lit him scornfully Ms Ills lc legs s wide cruel rull apart eyes eje narrow nar nar- row ed Youre lIure one wie 1 h h I 1 of ot a Pardner Jas No o guts Il m mm ti t spoke 1 hl his light r i lt t blue eyes e taking In Jasper with 1111 swift furtive ap He lie was convinced tint that Stark tl would betray them to Rame I hU Ida own hid Iddo If the chance came Dont look to mo too like were we're tripped Not by a am What's yore ore brother hU his neck fleck to get It away for tor It If they've got cot us Id I'd say Its It's the tho other way Y round Likely two or three of em butted In here lookin for tor us Ui This Me II Caen Cann wanted It to make wake sure Fure about I whose cattle ll were rl here bore lie He Mast HUM t of left the others on nn the horses up UI In the tho pines ll When yore orl brother heard the he figured the tile game pame nm was WUi unon un up on nn tit lit out pronto Ill I'll bet he be was alone 1 up there u n how Im I'm coin oln up to find out Well We'll know then where were we're nt at With Manuel posted at nt the tho Narrows arrows this thU McCann cant can't get lt out outdo do down n the l gulch My II notion U is weve we've en pot got that guy euy where we want him Gitner shook a huge list savagely la I spent speak tor for him Lemine Lemme have o him himan himan an un an Ill I'll sure liuro riddle him aplenty he cried with fl a fierce oath Again the terror that was WI riding Jasper Stark cried out Tell you IOU M were we're ero trapped It u ever r I ret get t outs outa here bere He lie did nut not finish the sentence hut huts i a as s It t stood the meaning was clear enough nouh a threat to abandon those with w whom hom horn he was wall allied perhaps to betray them The eyes ejes of finer and Duna met and a n mIS mI'S message passed between them In that long look h hwa he was wa condemned For Jor they knew their lives li ves were Ire at nt the Die merc mercy of ot this weakling weak ling illig who would turn evidence against again t them whenever pressure was brought to hear bent Neither of ot them doubted that Jasper Stark would save himself a at t their expense e It If he could Every word he had And spoken pohn since InrI he burtt buret Into the Ihl room n a halt hour ago convinced tLc them m that thai this thin was true First off otT oft well we'll all go up to the pines an Rn see SIO If anyone Is III still lUll camped there Dun I proposed That suit cult you Carl It If we hump bump lain Into this Mc Me- Cann an aft nn his friends well we'll tog fog It out v with lIh him miner straddled to the wall willi and took tok n R rifle down from froth the deers deer's horns on which It rl rested Suits Satin me flue fine he III boasted I hI I always did want another another an all' other crack at that Wits VII McCann I 1 most J sent him to Kingdom I Come Conic onset Im sick boys Reckon Ill I'll stay here Jasper paid arid Reckon you wont won't wont told him with n R brutal laugh II Zloty How about It t tark M Mark ark 7 Io For r a fraction of n second gs g's 81 sidling eyes ejes met I those hose of lit the Texan II n Why no no I 1 low hed he'd better go along Carl The TIll man crouched outside the window win dow 1 knew that It was time for far him to tobe tobo toe L b bo be e gone tone He Ile retreated carefully a afew afew afew f few steps t then hN broke Into Inlo n II run A After li lic he reached his horse and had lied reclaimed re re- c claimed the tho rille rifle lying near he hes hea- Where u do we go o from here herl Jim Jim- D Dandy andy he drawled aloud l. l If f I 1 know The Tho gulch Is s dosed closed It would be suicide If we tried trill to make a break down II Its It's back to the b big rocks for me ate I t expect Already tho the outlaws were pouring out of the hou house houe e From where he ho hect s ct f he h A r sift ti Iff Tin have i. i n hint kf i tit nm fim si In i n comparative safety but he could coull not harden his heart to do that though he ho knew they would murder him without without with with- o out ut scruple ff tr f they got ot the chance Hurriedly he ho mounted and rode back i Into nto the file pines to leave lea you here J J. J P. P he toM told his horse Im Iw for time old fellow tellow an nn an youre you're too big to hideSo hide hide- So I cant can't take you along lie He left JIni Dandy with 1111 the pack packhorse packhorse horse horRI and retreated to the foot toot of ot the rock rork wall The TIle voices of the outlaws coma came to him though he could rouM not nol make J out their words They had evidently f found the two animals were wre deciding de de- what to do The sound of ot died away P they had I decided to watt wall till morning Then they would thoroughly search the valley alley and find Ond him Wilson Vilson made his bis way back to the th u upper end of the park The big rocks offered the best cover he had bad seen for tor fora tora a lust last stand tand CHAPTER XIV The Old Maid Sheepherder Julia stayed at nt the sheep ranch the tile night after her brother and his companion com corn panion started for tor canyon canon It was wall long before she could get It to sloe sleep The Tho enterprise upon which the two hive men were embarked was n a dangerous dan grous one even l' though they had bad gone only to spy Rpy out the land She wished she had Insisted more morl strongly that thai they take n a larger posse for tor If they I s hould meet the ru rustlers and there should l be he n R battle they would woul l greet ably ubly be b. worsted wonted Thinking of It now In this the darkness of the Ih night their un Undertaking undertaking Un- Un second foolhardy She was wa glad Ilat of the Iho darkness and ami t tho he freedom it brought ht from the need to 10 tall talk Her IIer thoughts were of Wilson McGinn What hili hind hat 11 he taco meant when lo la said sold ho hI would not 1101 tell her hU Imis opinion ion tau of her tier Slip She hp tried to 10 vision n again aln the look that had hUll accompanied the tile words word and tind her pul puke pubes ls l's throbbed with jO joy 1111 mill and 1 apprehension lie Ill wits IS no friend 1 The lines In which their lives 18 toad had been teen ca t male maJI that Impossible Hut But he lit was the man she sh loved lined No did she deny that to herself It gave II I her n a s stinging delight It to admit It They 1111 roul could l b be nothing to tn each other Never Never rr None the Ihl less he tie was Wl everything I to her It H was In long past midnight before her here e eyes es clo closed 1 They opened only when time the tinkling of knives and forks told 11 her that Ethel was vas setting the table for tor I hr breakfast What time Is It she asked drowsily e V been heln up U hours Ethel Ithel told 1 her tier inn Ann nn said to let you OU sleep sl She's hes had 1131 her breakfast t and started for tor one line of the Ill I'll campy camps m II You dont don't have to go 0 today do you u Think Id I'd better Phil's Phils away wn you rou know Sir Mr Ir rl will III look 1 after things lies He's been hren doing It a s rood food man many years lau ha hn nt he he the th dl day Julia continued to argue that sill she must be getting home huml but Lut the she made madl no move to go 10 Th The fact tact was wu that she was Willi very cry reluctant to put Iut that half bat dozen extra males nilo between her br and the men who had rune cone to l She was not easy luy In her mind and aud she knew that whatever news came clime would reach rench the sheep ranch before It did the Circle Cross Cro and she wn washed their hair and let It t dry In the sun The contrast 1111 they offered o to each other was striking the one with soft hoft fluffy ripples like molten gold the other with Ith long abundant tresses black o a as coal There hind bad sprung up lip between them a swift Impulsive lve friendship an Intimacy made possible by their differing tem ten One was soft and tender and clinging the other strong and gen generous erous Brous and warm When Julia talked of ot Phil Thil the younger girls girl's blu blushes hes came but hut when the conversation veered to Wilson Vilson on McCann McCann Mc- Mc Cann Julia gave no sign of peculiar in In crest terest Toward To evening 1 Ann returned and vetoed Julias Julia's hearted half l suggestion tint that she must be he going Wherefore the guest stayed another night and was awakened nw next morning to the theodor theodor theodor odor of frying bacon baron They had not lOt finished eating when whenn a n mans man's s voice outside hailed the house i a r L 1 0 I d Am I Driving You Away She Sho Asked Aked at Last Latt The man was Dave Dae Stone lIe He had come he said to say good good-by before leaving for Texas It was Julia not Ann who asked him questions Texas I 1 I didn't know you were even eplI thinking of going How long are you going to stay there Im on the rangers there You Vou haven't had hat any trouble with Dominick or anybody He smiled No o maam Nothing like that I wl wish you wouldn't go Why cant can't you OU stay at nt the Circle Cross livery Every once onre In to a while I get sort aorta a hungry for Texas Julia was not one to give up easily but she did not find It possible to move him hium from his purpose You Vou talk to him hint Ann while 1 Ethel and anil I r do fin the tha dishes slip ahe he said nt st last ht Hut But Ann had nothing to say She sat mute mule and still while bile the Texan maintained as ns best be lie could a flow of small talk Presently she rose rosl Ive got to look at nt the feed feet troughs she said lIe He walked beside her to the cor cor- rals The fhe girl put her forearms on the top lop liar bar of ot the fence and look looked Id I'd across at the distant Sierras Am m I driving you away she asked at lit last Why hy no an nil maam Im I'm ju Just t restless I hi ought not hot to say suy anything about It t she Fhe went on with a u Hare of her herold herold old bitterness Its not womanly I 1 suppose Rut Hut youre you're either III my Iny friend or youre you're not I 1 want to 10 know which Im 1111 yore jore friend he saI sail said l In a low voice olet All Il 11 you jou 1 0 did dl was to try fry to save Fal me from prison and to protect my rood good name w when hen folks fols were talking about tile me Nothing to speak of Just almo almost t give 11 your jour our life for fr tic lilt Now you jou come ray Im Inn going gln away without telling me nit why Is that fair She he spoke sloke with such men passionate I Hate r re resentment that he knew he tie could not by hy the reason lIn he had given 1 for tor 1 leaving ln t Il t he 1 not he hI sold said quietly Fact Is Miss lIss nn Ann I 1 Rill Bin I leavin 1 n on yore jore or account arlInt Its It's not nol fair to you jou OU for meto me mt meto to stay Ive I've worked It all nil out In my mind olka have got a fool tool notion that that that-that- I that that hat Im I'm In love with you she flubbed finished for him No XII maam ma'am but Lut that Im I'm right fond ton tonof of you you And since It Isn't true youre you're going oln away to 10 stop top their talk Yes Ye Miss lIss Ann nu Im I'm going away to 10 stop top their talk but hut not nOI for tor that reason Im I'm Pave Inn Stone Texas killer r It t wont won't do any young joung oun ladys lady's name any good to be he associated with mine mInI When hen I Igo Igo go 10 the talk will ills die right down She lIe laughed shortly Good of you to be le so thoughtful Why Rhy didn't you Just jut send word you were werl going away au I wanted to 10 see FN you youve you've seen reen me now She Btu held out oot her hand Good by hy He Ile shook |